All ages comics and manga for 3/2/11

February frost has come and gone, and now it’s time for March winds to blow on through. This week’s list has some good fliers. DC Comics brings out the next collection of Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM, while Marvel starts a new magazine featuring stories from their Marvel Adventures universe. I wish comic publishers would come up with a consistant rating system though. Marvel also released a companion comic for their Oz comics, but had it rated T+ (12 and up), and it made me second guess including it on the list. The ever fluctuating ratings make it difficult to know what’s appropriate for kids without reading it first. Over on the manga side, where things are fairly consistant, Vertical releases the next volume of their very sweet title Chi’s Sweet Home and Viz has the next volume in the Taro series.

Axe Cop Bad Guy Earth #1 – The webcomic sensation makes its debut at Dark Hourse with an all new miniseries. Axe Cop has caught the attention of not only comics fans and news blogs, but also the “real” police. He and his partner Dinosaur Soldier are being treated as the bad guys, and are being hunted not only by the police, but by the president and the army! But when a pair of alien villains arrive on Earth and turn the army into actuall bad guys, who’re they gonna call? Axe Cop! Since its debut in December of 2009, this series has been hailed a hit by readers and the press alike. What will make this series really appeal to kids, is that it is written by one of them! The six-year-old brother of artist Ethan Nicolle comes up with the stories while Ethan draws it. It’s great fun for both kids and adults, and shows what a great imagination can create.

Pokemon Adventures: Platinum Volume 1 - This manga follows the storyline of the Pokemon video game Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Pokemon Trainers Pearl and Diamond have a lifelong dream of becomes a famous Pokemon comedy act. Platinum comes from a wealthy family of scholars, and for her coming-of-age ceremony, must travel to Mt. Coronet to create her own family emblem. Through a complicated case of misidentification, Diamond and Pearl become Platinum’s bodyguards! Kids will love this title. Fans of the video games can relive the story, and parents can be happy at the less screen time. Fans of Pokemon can also enjoy the story without going through the game. Everybody wins!

Lori Henderson is a mother of two teenage daughters and an avid reader. She blogs about manga at her personal blog Manga Xanadu as well as contributing and editing for Manga Village. She blogs about all things fandom (mainly Doctor Who) at her other personal blog Fangirl Xanadu. She's been at it so for over 5 years now and counting!

About Good Comics For Kids

We are a group of librarians, parents, and writers--and most of us wear at least two of those hats--who started writing about kids' comics in 2008 because, well, nobody else was. We like everything from Literary Graphic Novels to blatantly commercial (but fun!) licensed properties. And we don't lump all ages together; we're smart enough to know that a three-year-old has different abilities and interests than a 13-year-old.

Our goal is to cover kids' comics (for readers from birth to age 16) with both breadth and depth, through a mix of news, reviews, interviews, and previews, and to be both accessible to casual readers and interesting enough for serious fans.